Merkel expects steady increases in German military spending

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday said she expected German military expenditure to rise steadily in coming years, in line with Berlin's pledge to meet a NATO target of moving toward spending 2 percent of economic output by 2024.

"That will be reflected in the 2018 budget and in the following years, I think," Merkel told reporters after a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.